Mindless Self Indulgence, commonly referred to as MSI or Mindless, is an American electropunk band. They describe their music as industrial jungle pussy punk. Though considered punk, they are heavily influenced by techno, industrial, electro, and hip-hop. Intentionally iconoclastic, lead singer James Euringer (who uses the stage name Little Jimmy Urine) owes sartorial influence to the New York Dolls, wearing fishnet shirts at concerts, and is occasionally seen in shorts or pants with the inside cut out similar to how a skirt looks, and neon stockings. Euringer's outfits and antics are often the focal point of live shows.
Another large influence in the band's music comes from early 1980s culture. Frequently the music contains samples of early 80's hip-hop or rock, as well as Atari-style beeps and tones. Indeed, their first album as a band, 1999's Tight, was allegedly mixed on Atari equipment. Many of Urine's dress styles consist of juxtaposition of popular 1980s clothing or bastardized versions thereof.
Mindless Self Indulgence is distinct from mainstream punk, however, in their incorporation of lyrics about being gay and its related topics into nearly all their songs - even titling one of their songs as "Faggot." Also, Euringer and Steve, Righ? possess wide vocal ranges, stretching from tenor to high falsetto. The band also has no qualms about using words deemed offensive by some, such as nigga (Jimmy Urine argues that he doesn't say the word out of anger, and often it is more or less used in the sense that it is used in the hip hop world) and faggot, heavily in many of their songs. Many critics have used their word choice to dismiss the band as juvenile.
